The father-of-two was initially convicted in February 2010 in Chicago, Illinois, for “delivering two pounds of cocaine and sentenced to 15 years”, ICE spokeswoman Nicole Alberico said in a statement sent to the BBC.

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Media captionForeign nationals with a green card can enlist in the US military.

Perez had served half of a 15-year prison sentence when he was called to immigration court.

He has been in ICE custody since September 2016, according to ICE.

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Perez reportedly said he mistakenly thought he would become a US citizen automatically after his military service. Perez’s parents and his children are US citizens, according to US media.

According to a statement from ICE, Perez was flown from Indiana to Texas where ICE officers escorted him across the US-Mexico border and turned him over to Mexican authorities.